Defining and editing user interface behaviors

Abstract

An authoring system for building an application that has a set of graphical objects. The application is for performing several operations on several graphical objects in response to several user interaction events. The authoring system includes a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI includes a first area for displaying different possible user interaction events. Each possible user interaction event is for associating with a graphical object of the application. The GUI also includes a second area for displaying operations for associating with user interaction events displayed in the first area. In addition, the GUI includes a third area for displaying definitions of an operation selected in the second area.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing an authoring platform for building an application having a set of graphical objects, the application for performing a plurality of operations on the set of graphical objects in response to a plurality of user interaction events, the authoring platform comprising a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:
 a first area for displaying different possible user interaction events, each possible user interaction event for associating with at least one of the set of graphical objects of the application; 
 a second area for displaying operations for associating with the different possible user interaction events displayed in the first area; 
 a third area for displaying definitions of one or more operations selected in the second area, wherein at least one of the selected operations comprises altering the presentation of at least one of the set of graphical objects of the application as a function of time, wherein the third area is further for editing the altering of the presentation; 
 a tool for associating at least one of the set of graphical objects with at least one of the different possible user interaction events in the second area; and 
 a scene preview area that displays the altering of the presentation of at least one of the set of graphical objects. 
 
     
     
       2. The machine readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the GUI comprises one or more windows, wherein the first area, the second area, and the third area are not within different windows of the GUI. 
     
     
       3. The machine readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the first area is further for adding and removing user interaction events. 
     
     
       4. The machine readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the second area is further for adding and removing behaviors. 
     
     
       5. The machine readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein a user interaction event comprises a set of operations performed on one or more graphical objects of the application. 
     
     
       6. The machine readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein a user interaction event displayed in the first area is associable with one or more operations displayed in the second area. 
     
     
       7. The machine readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the operations that the application performs include at least one of (i) animating a graphical object, (ii) running a script, (iii) running a compiled code, and (iv) playing back audio. 
     
     
       8. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing an authoring platform for building an application having a set of graphical objects, the application for performing a plurality of operations on the set of graphical objects in response to a plurality of user interaction events, the authoring platform comprising a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:
 a first area for displaying the set of graphical objects of the application; 
 a second area for displaying one or more behaviors comprising associations of the plurality of user interaction events and the plurality of operations to be performed by the application on at least one of the set of graphical objects, wherein at least one of the plurality of operations comprises altering the presentation of at least one of the set of graphical objects of the application as a function of time; 
 a tool for graphically associating the one or more behaviors displayed in the second area with at least one of the set of graphical objects displayed in the first area; and 
 a scene preview area that displays the altering of the presentation of at least one of the set of graphical objects. 
 
     
     
       9. The machine readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein the first area is further for adding and removing graphical objects to and from the application. 
     
     
       10. The machine readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein the second area is further for adding and removing behaviors. 
     
     
       11. The machine readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein the user interaction event is defined as an operation performed on the graphical object by a user of the application while the application is running. 
     
     
       12. The machine readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein types of operations that the application performs include at least one of (i) animating a graphical object, (ii) running a script, (iii) running a compiled code, and (iv) playing back audio. 
     
     
       13. A computer-implemented method of defining an authoring platform for building an application having a set of graphical objects, the application for performing a plurality of operations on the set of graphical objects in response to a plurality of user interaction events, the authoring platform comprising a graphical user interface (GUI), the method comprising:
 in the GUI,
 a first area for displaying different possible user interaction events, each possible user interaction event for associating with at least one of the set of graphical objects of the application; 
 a second area for displaying operations for associating with the different possible user interaction events displayed in the first area; 
 a third area for displaying definitions of one or more operations selected in the second area, wherein at least one of the selected operations comprises altering the presentation of at least one of the set of graphical objects of the application as a function of time, wherein the third area is further for editing the altering of the presentation; 
 a tool for associating at least one of the set of graphical objects with at least one of the different possible user interaction events in the second area; and 
 a scene preview area that displays the altering of the presentation of at least one of the set of graphical objects. 
 
 
     
     
       14. The machine readable medium of  claim 13 , wherein the selected operation is running a compiled code, wherein the third area is further for editing source code of the complied code. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the selected operation is running a script and the third area is further for editing the script. 
     
     
       16. The method  claim 13 , wherein the selected operation is animating altering of the presentation of a at least one of the set of graphical objects of the application, wherein the third area is further for comprises editing key indices of the at least one of the set of one or more graphical objects of the application, wherein the key indices are associated with a start time, a stop time, and at least one additional time between the start time and the stop time. 
     
     
       17. A computer-implemented method of defining an authoring platform for building an interactive application having a plurality of graphical objects, the application for performing a plurality of responses upon receiving an event on a graphical object, the responses and the event associated to form a behavior, the authoring platform comprising a graphical user interface (GUI), the method comprising:
 in the GUI:
 defining a first area for displaying one or more graphical objects of the application; 
 defining a second area for displaying behaviors comprising associations of user interaction events and operations to be performed by the application, wherein at least one of the behaviors comprises altering the presentation of at least one of the graphical objects of the application as a function of time; 
 defining a tool for graphically associating a behavior displayed in the second area with a graphical object displayed in the first area; and 
 a scene preview area that displays the altering of the presentation of at least one of the set of graphical objects. 
 
 
     
     
       18. The machine readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein different sets of graphical objects form different scenes of the applications, wherein the GUI further comprises a third area for (i) displaying scenes and (ii) adding and removing scenes. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , wherein the response is defined as an operation that the application is to perform in response to receiving the event. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19 , wherein the event is defined as an operation to be performed on the graphical object by a user using the application while the application is running.